Day 9 - Back to Amsterdam

We had to officially return the Oude Rein to Locaboat this morning. (Boo hoo!)  We packed up and they called a cab for us to get back to the train station in Breukelen.  From there we would take  a train to the stop for Schipol Airport where we'd get a shuttle to our hotel, a Holiday Inn Express.  Naturally, when we got to the airport and called for the shuttle, we'd just missed it and had to wait half an hour for the next one.  Our hotel wasn't exactly at the airport, as I'd planned, but a 10 minute drive.  However, it was brand new and very nice and had (YAY!) free wifi!  I had to use their computer since my battery was long since dead along with the converter.  We checked into our nice room, checked email quickly, and headed back into Amsterdam.

Our very cool hotel room and bathroom (below)

Back on the train!

David and I couldn't agree on what we wanted to do since we'd already seen most of the Amsterdam hot spots.  I wanted to first go to the Amsterdam Archives to see if I could dig up anything about my Dutch ancestors.  David agreed to go there with me. 

We found the place easily and I went in and explained my situation, asking for someone who spoke English.  After hearing my story, he asked if I could read Dutch.  Do you think I'm speaking in English in the Netherlands if I can read/speak Dutch?? (No, I didn't say that, just thought it). He gave me a superfast tutorial and sent me on my way to looking at microfilm (took me back to my college days!)  I spent a few minutes looking and trying to figure out what I was looking at.  I wanted to spend some more time delving through things, but David was bored.  We agreed to meet at Central Station at 5 PM in a spot we had chosen earlier.  He left.  I worked for about fifteen more minutes before giving up.  These archives were only for people who'd lived in Amsterdam, and I have no proof that any of my ancestors did.  And everything was written in Dutch, which, as I have explained, I can't read.  Now I was on my own in Amsterdam

I had a plan to see the Rembrandt Huis (house) museum because I really like his work and wanted to learn more.  Then I planned to visit the Dutch Resistance Museum or the Jewish History Museum.  But first, lunch!  After a nice chicken club sandwich I found my way by tram to the first museum area and what did I find but a flea market!  Fun!  I wandered around there for a while, and then I stumbled upon the Rembrandt House Museum!  I got in at a discounted price because I had my Holland Pass card and I also had picked up a card entitling me to a free souvenir! (I got two free note cards with Rembrandt etchings printed on them) They allowed you to check your bags and coats for free and also had free audio tours!  The museum was the actual house where Rembrandt lived, painted, taught art, and was an art dealer.  There was also a woman giving a demonstration of how etchings were made.

Rembrandt's bed, in an actual cupboard!

Fireplace in a room - the pillars are actual marble but the mantle is wood painted to look like marble, a money saving custom of the time.

Etching demonstration

After I left this museum, I had decided to go to the Dutch Resistance Museum.  I was studying the map and trying to get my bearings when I saw that the Jewish History Museum was right across the street.  I went there and was happy to find that I had a coupon for free entry (the last coupon left from the packet we'd bought on day one!)  This museum was the only one other than the Rijksmuseum that searched bags and had you walk through a metal detector.  This is a sad world we live in.  Inside the museum was very interesting.  They also offered a free audio tour, so I went at my own pace and learned quite a bit.  The museum itself was a former synagogue.  Being a Jew in the Netherlands, while not great throughout history, was better than many other places.

The old sanctuary of the synagogue, now the center of the museum.

The Ark which holds the Torah Scrolls

After leaving the Jewish Historical Museum, I decided to go to the flower market which we'd passed this morning on our way to the Archives.  I located where it was on the map and what tram to take to get there. I was so proud of myself when I found it!  I shopped around there for a while and bought some tulip bulbs which were legal to bring back to the US (that translates to "were more expensive").  Then, I found a small store that sold Delft ceramics.  I went in to look around and bought a small candle holder.  Then it was on the tram back to Central Station to (hopefully) find David.  He was already there and had spent the day wandering and taking the tram around all parts of the city (probably a return visit to the red light district too!)

It was too early for dinner so we decided to go back to the flower market and we bought some more legal tulips.  Then we made our way to Rembrandtplein, a plaza I'd seen earlier, where there were a lot of nice looking restaurants, many of which had outside seating.  When we got there, it turns out David had eaten his lunch in the same neighborhood!  We ate in an Italian place and watched the passersby while we ate.  Then, we headed back to our hotel as we had an early day coming up (7AM flight!)

Rembrandtplein (Rembrandt Plaza)

Statue of Rembrandt in plaza